U.S. patent number 8,939,109 [Application Number 13/675,777] was granted by the patent office on 2015-01-27 for animal feeder with adjustment of a feed discharge opening.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Crystal Spring Colony Farms Ltd. The grantee listed for this patent is Crystal Spring Colony Farms Ltd.. Invention is credited to Jonathan Kleinsasser.
United States Patent |
8,939,109 |
Kleinsasser |
January 27, 2015 |
Animal feeder with adjustment of a feed discharge opening
Abstract
An animal feeder includes two feeder sections arranged end to
end with a common hopper extension feeding individual hoppers above
a shelf onto which feed can fall to be taken by the animal or
dropped into a trough below the shelf. The height of the shelf is
adjustable to change the feed rate by straps which are adjustable
by a common longitudinal bar which is located at a selected
adjustment position by meshing teeth. The portion of the lever is
movable in a direction away from the plate a non-meshing position
in which the bar can rotate around the pivot axis. A common water
supply extends along both feeders and is heated by a common heating
element.
Inventors: |
Kleinsasser; Jonathan (Ste
Agathe, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Crystal Spring Colony Farms Ltd. |
Ste Agathe |
N/A |
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
Crystal Spring Colony Farms Ltd
(Ste. Agathe, Manitoba, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
50680440 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/675,777 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140130746 A1 |
May 15, 2014 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
119/53.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K
5/00 (20130101); A01K 5/0225 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01K
5/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;119/51.5,53,53.5,54 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Abbott; Yvonne
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Battison; Adrian D. Ade &
Company Inc.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. An animal feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed
material to be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a
receptacle for receiving the feed from the hopper from which the
animal can take the feed; an elongate opening through which the
feed passes so that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper
to the receptacle is controlled by a width of the opening; the
opening being defined on one side by an elongate member extending
along the opening and movable transversely of the opening to change
the width of the opening along the length of the opening; and an
adjustment linkage for operating adjustment movement of the
elongate member, the linkage including: a plurality of upstanding
support members at spaced positions along the elongate member; each
support member being movable upwardly and downwardly to different
heights generally along its length to raise and lower the elongate
member; a gauge for indicating to a user a height of at least one
of the upstanding support members such that the user can select a
required height; an adjustment bar interconnecting all of the
upstanding support members for common adjustment of the height
thereof; and a manually adjustable lever mounted for pivotal
movement about a pivot axis for rotating the bar so as to commonly
adjust the upstanding support members.
2. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein the bar is located in
the hopper at a height above the elongate member.
3. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein a respective one of the
upstanding support members is located at each respective end of the
elongate member and at least one additional upstanding support
member is located between the ends.
4. The feeder according to claim 3 wherein there is provided a
gauge at each end of the elongate member.
5. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a lock
member for holding one of the upstanding support members at a
selected height.
6. The feeder according to claim 5 wherein the lock member is
located at the gauge.
7. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein the lever is located at
the gauge.
8. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein the lever is located
inside the hopper at one end of the feeder.
9. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein the lever is located
outside the hopper on one end of the feeder at height inaccessible
by the animals.
10. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein the bar is mounted for
pivotal movement around a pivot axis fixed relative to ends of the
hopper and wherein there is provided a crank extending from the bar
to the upstanding support member so that the upstanding support
member is adjusted in height by rotation of the bar around the
axis.
11. The feeder according to claim 10 wherein the gauge comprises a
plate defining a surface over which the crank moves, the surface
defining an arcuate portion lying on an arc of a circle surrounding
the pivot axis of the bar; wherein the arcuate portion of the
surface is serrated to define an arcuate row of teeth; wherein the
crank has an edge which is also serrated with a row of teeth shaped
to mesh with the teeth of the arcuate portion; and wherein the
crank is being movable from a meshing position locking the
upstanding support member in a locked position to a non-meshing
position in which the upstanding support member is free to move
upwardly and downwardly.
12. The feeder according to claim 11 wherein the plate lies in a
radial plane of the pivot axis and the arcuate row of teeth are
located on an edge of the plate.
13. The feeder according to claim 12 wherein the edge of the plate
is an outer edge facing radially outwardly of the axis.
14. The feeder according to claim 13 wherein the crank is formed by
a flat of sheet material which lies in a plane parallel to and
slides over the plate and wherein the crank includes a portion
thereof which is bent out of a plane of the crank into the plane of
the plate and carries the row of teeth of the crank on an edge
thereof.
15. The feeder according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a
trough into which the feed can fall and wherein the elongate member
comprises a shelf mounted above the trough arranged so that the
animal can take feed from the shelf or can move the feed from the
shelf to the trough and wherein the upstanding support member is
connected to the shelf for adjustment of the height thereof
relative to a bottom edge of the hopper defining the opening
therebetween.
16. The feeder according to claim 15 wherein the feeder comprises a
pair of feeders arranged end to end each having a respective
hopper, a respective trough and a respective shelf; wherein there
is provided a water line extending along the pair of feeders
underneath the shelf for supplying water to the troughs and wherein
there is provided a heater element at the water line and extending
along the water line along both of the feeders so as to provide
heat to both feeders from a common heater element.
17. The feeder according to claim 16 wherein the common heater
element is located inside the water line.
18. An animal feeder comprising: a pair of feeders arranged end to
end, each feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed
material to be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a
trough for receiving the feed from the hopper from which the animal
can take the feed; a shelf mounted above the trough arranged so
that the animal can take feed from the shelf or can move the feed
from the shelf to the trough; the shelf defining with a bottom edge
of the hopper an elongate opening through which the feed passes so
that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the
receptacle is controlled by a width of the opening; wherein there
is provided a water line extending along the pair of feeders
underneath the shelf for supplying water to the troughs; and
wherein there is provided a heater element at the water line and
extending along the water line along both of the feeders so as to
provide heat to both feeders from a common heater element.
19. The feeder according to claim 18 wherein the common heater
element is located inside the water line.
20. The feeder according to claim 18 wherein the two hoppers of the
feeders are connected to a common upper hopper extension which
supplies feed to the hoppers of both of the feeders.
21. The feeder according to claim 18 wherein the hoppers of the two
feeders are spaced so as to define a separate area therebetween and
wherein there is provided a divider member in the common hopper
extension to direct the feed into one or other of the hoppers.
22. The feeder according to claim 18 wherein there is provided an
adjustment linkage for operating adjustment movement of the shelf
of each of the hoppers, the linkage including: a plurality of
upstanding support members at spaced positions along the shelves of
the hoppers; each support member being movable upwardly and
downwardly to different heights generally along its length to raise
and lower the shelves; a gauge for indicating to a user a height of
at least one of the upstanding support members such that the user
can select a required height; an adjustment bar interconnecting all
of the upstanding support members for common adjustment of the
height thereof; and a manually adjustable lever mounted for pivotal
movement about a pivot axis for rotating the bar so as to commonly
adjust the upstanding support members.
23. An animal feeder comprising: a pair of feeders arranged end to
end, each feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed
material to be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a
receptacle for receiving the feed from the hopper from which the
animal can take the feed; an elongate opening through which the
feed passes so that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper
to the receptacle is controlled by a width of the opening; the
opening being defined on one side by an elongate member extending
along the opening and movable transversely of the opening to change
the width of the opening along the length of the opening; and an
adjustment linkage for operating common adjustment movement of the
elongate members of the feeders, the linkage including: a plurality
of upstanding support members at spaced positions along the
elongate member; each support member being movable upwardly and
downwardly to different heights generally along its length to raise
and lower the elongate members; a gauge for indicating to a user a
height of at least one of the upstanding support members such that
the user can select a required height; an adjustment bar
interconnecting all of the upstanding support members for common
adjustment of the height thereof; and a manually adjustable lever
mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot axis for rotating the
bar so as to commonly adjust the upstanding support members.
24. The feeder according to claim 23 wherein the two hoppers of the
feeders are connected to a common upper hopper extension which
supplies feed to the hoppers of both of the feeders.
Description
This invention relates to an animal feeder with an adjustable feed
discharge opening thus adjusting the amount of feed which is
allowed to pass through the opening.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various arrangements of animal feeder are provided in which there
is a trough into which feed can be deposited from a hopper above
the trough. In most cases the feed material to be deposited can
vary in particle size and viscosity so that it is often desirable
to provide an arrangement which allows an adjustment of the opening
through which the material can feed from the hopper into the
trough.
In many cases the opening is provided by a simple shutter at the
gap between the Hopper and the trough where the height of the
shutter can be adjusted to vary the gap at the bottom of the
shutter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,508 (Kleinsasser) issued Apr. 28, 1987 is
disclosed a feeder which provides a shelf above the trough with the
hopper discharging onto the shelf in a manner so that the feed
remains on the shelf but can be moved from the shelf to the trough
by the animal as required. Feeders of this type have achieved
significant commercial success. Adjustment of the height of the
shelf is necessary for the purpose of accommodating different types
of feed and different feed rates and this is obtained by a hand
crank screw which operates with a threaded nut to raise and lower a
strap carrying the shelf. The screw is used in adjustment of this
device because the deposit of the feed onto the self requires an
accurate adjustment of the distance between the shelf and the
bottom edge of the hopper so that cruder systems with a less fine
adjustment have been rejected.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,285 also of Kleinsasser issued Feb. 18, 1997
discloses a further similar device where additional adjustment of
the height of the shelf is possible but again fine adjustment is
provided by a screw.
It is also known to provide arrangements in which adjustment in a
relatively crude manner is effected by selecting one of a plurality
of holes in which to locate the pin of an adjustment lever so that
the adjustment is effected step by step. As the holes must be
necessarily a certain distance apart, such an adjustment provides a
relatively crude distance of adjustment so that the fine tuning
necessary for determining the specific dimensions of an opening to
accurately control the rate of flow of feed material is not
possible in such a system. One example is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
6,637,368 (Bondarenko) issued Oct. 28, 2003. This provides a link
which extends along one end wall of a feeder and a lever can be
moved to place a pin into a selected one of a number of holes in
the end wall.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,142 issued Aug. 2, 2005 is disclosed and an
arrangement in which a shelf is carried on straps which extend
along the end walls of the hopper and are movable by an adjustment
linkage defined by a plate carried on the end wall and a manually
adjustable lever mounted for pivotal movement on the plate. The
plate has an arcuate outer edge which is serrated to define an
arcuate row of teeth and the lever is formed by a flat of sheet
material which lies in a plane parallel to and slides over the
plate and includes a portion thereof which is bent out of a plane
of the lever into the plane of the plate which is also serrated
with a row of teeth shaped to mesh with the teeth of the arcuate
portion. The portion of the lever is movable in a direction away
from the plate a non-meshing position in which the lever is free to
move around the pivot axis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
it is one object of the invention to provide an improved feeder of
the above general type.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an
animal feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed material
to be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a receptacle
for receiving the feed from the hopper from which the animal can
take the feed; an elongate opening through which the feed passes so
that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the
receptacle is controlled by a width of the opening; the opening
being defined on one side by an elongate member extending along the
opening and movable transversely of the opening to change the width
of the opening along the length of the opening; and an adjustment
linkage for operating adjustment movement of the elongate member,
the linkage including: a plurality of upstanding support members at
spaced positions along the elongate member; each support member
being movable upwardly and downwardly to different heights
generally along its length to raise and lower the elongate member;
a gauge for indicating to a user a height of at least one of the
upstanding support members such that the user can select a required
height; an adjustment bar interconnecting all of the upstanding
support members for common adjustment of the height thereof; and a
manually adjustable lever mounted for pivotal movement about a
pivot axis for rotating the bar so as to commonly adjust the
upstanding support members.
Preferably the bar is located in the hopper at a height above the
elongate member.
Preferably a respective one of the upstanding support members is
located at each respective end of the elongate member and at least
one additional upstanding support member is located between the
ends.
Preferably there is provided a gauge at each end of the elongate
member.
Preferably there is provided a lock member for holding one of the
upstanding support members at a selected height.
Preferably the lock member is located at the gauge at one end wall
of the hopper.
Preferably the lever is located at the gauge at one end wall of the
hopper.
The lever can be located inside the hopper at one end of the feeder
or can be located outside the hopper on one end of the feeder at
height inaccessible by the animals.
Preferably the bar is mounted for pivotal movement around a pivot
axis fixed relative to ends of the hopper and wherein there is
provided a crank extending from the bar to each upstanding support
member so that each upstanding support member is commonly adjusted
in height by rotation of the bar around the axis.
Preferably the gauge comprises a plate defining a surface over
which the crank moves, the surface defining an arcuate portion
lying on an arc of a circle surrounding the pivot axis of the bar;
wherein the arcuate portion of the surface is serrated to define an
arcuate row of teeth; wherein the crank has an edge which is also
serrated with a row of teeth shaped to mesh with the teeth of the
arcuate portion; and wherein the crank is being movable from a
meshing position locking the upstanding support member in a locked
position to a non-meshing position in which the upstanding support
member is free to move upwardly and downwardly.
Preferably the plate lies in a radial plane of the pivot axis and
the arcuate row of teeth are located on an edge of the plate.
Preferably the edge of the plate is an outer edge facing radially
outwardly of the axis.
Preferably the crank is formed by a flat of sheet material which
lies in a plane parallel to and slides over the plate and wherein
the crank includes a portion thereof which is bent out of a plane
of the crank into the plane of the plate and carries the row of
teeth of the crank on an edge thereof.
Preferably the feeder is of the known wet/dry type where there is
provided a trough into which the feed can fall and wherein the
elongate member comprises a shelf mounted above the trough arranged
so that the animal can take feed from the shelf or can move the
feed from the shelf to the trough and wherein the upstanding
support member is connected to the shelf for adjustment of the
height thereof relative to a bottom edge of the hopper defining the
opening therebetween.
Preferably the feeder comprises a pair of feeders arranged end to
end each having a respective hopper, a respective trough and a
respective shelf; wherein there is provided a water line extending
along the pair of feeders underneath the shelf for supplying water
to the troughs and wherein there is provided a heater element at
the water line and extending along the water line along both of the
feeders so as to provide heat to both feeders from a common heater
element.
Preferably the common heater element is located inside the water
line.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an
animal feeder comprising: a pair of feeders arranged end to end,
each feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed material to
be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a trough for
receiving the feed from the hopper from which the animal can take
the feed; a shelf mounted above the trough arranged so that the
animal can take feed from the shelf or can move the feed from the
shelf to the trough; the shelf defining with a bottom edge of the
hopper an elongate opening through which the feed passes so that
the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the receptacle is
controlled by a width of the opening; wherein there is provided a
water line extending along the pair of feeders underneath the shelf
for supplying water to the troughs; and wherein there is provided a
heater element at the water line and extending along the water line
along both of the feeders so as to provide heat to both feeders
from a common heater element.
Preferably the common heater element is located inside the water
line.
Preferably the two hoppers of the feeders are connected to a common
upper hopper extension which supplies feed to the hoppers of both
of the feeders.
Preferably the hoppers of the two feeders are spaced so as to
define a separate area therebetween and there is provided a divider
member in the common hopper extension to direct the feed into one
or other of the hoppers.
Preferably there is provided an adjustment linkage for operating
common adjustment movement of the shelf of each of the hoppers, the
linkage including: a plurality of upstanding support members at
spaced positions along the shelves of the hoppers; each support
member being movable upwardly and downwardly to different heights
generally along its length to raise and lower the shelves; a gauge
for indicating to a user a height of at least one of the upstanding
support members such that the user can select a required height; an
adjustment bar interconnecting all of the upstanding support
members for common adjustment of the height thereof; and a manually
adjustable lever mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot axis
for rotating the bar so as to commonly adjust the upstanding
support members.
The above construction of the wet/dry feeder is well known where
the shelf holds the feed in dry condition above the trough but can
be added to water in the trough for a wet condition. In this
arrangement, the link is connected to the shelf for adjustment of
the height thereof relative to a bottom edge of the hopper defining
the opening therebetween.
However the same construction can be used with a conventional dry
feeder where the adjustment is effected by moving a plate which
extends generally upright from a base wall of the trough so that a
bottom edge of the plate cooperates with the base wall in defining
the opening. Typical dry feeders are commonly, but not necessarily,
double sided so that the same hopper feeds two sides of a trough
with each side having its own adjustment plate. In this case there
my be two such adjustment devices as defined above at each end of
the hopper so that each plate is independently adjusted by a pair
of adjustment devices one at each end wall of the hopper.
Alternatively the two plates may be adjusted commonly by a single
pair of adjustment devices depending upon the requirements of the
customer.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an
animal feeder comprising: a pair of feeders arranged end to end,
each feeder comprising: a hopper for containing a feed material to
be dispensed to an animal for feeding therefrom; a receptacle for
receiving the feed from the hopper from which the animal can take
the feed; an elongate opening through which the feed passes so that
the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the receptacle is
controlled by a width of the opening; the opening being defined on
one side by an elongate member extending along the opening and
movable transversely of the opening to change the width of the
opening along the length of the opening; and an adjustment linkage
for operating common adjustment movement of the elongate members of
the feeders, the linkage including: a plurality of upstanding
support members at spaced positions along the elongate member; each
support member being movable upwardly and downwardly to different
heights generally along its length to raise and lower the elongate
members; a gauge for indicating to a user a height of at least one
of the upstanding support members such that the user can select a
required height; an adjustment bar interconnecting all of the
upstanding support members for common adjustment of the height
thereof; and a manually adjustable lever mounted for pivotal
movement about a pivot axis for rotating the bar so as to commonly
adjust the upstanding support members.
Preferably the two hoppers of the feeders are connected to a common
upper hopper extension which supplies feed to the hoppers of both
of the feeders.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a feeder according to the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through one end of the feeder of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale of the
adjustment mechanism of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an isometric view on an enlarged scale of the adjustment
mechanism of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the other end adjustment mechanism
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view on an enlarged scale of the adjustment
mechanism at the center support of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view showing two feeders arranged end to
end.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view on an enlarged scale of one end only of
the feeders of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view partly broken away on an enlarged scale
of the junction between the feeders of FIG. 7.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An elongate feeder is generally indicated at 10 and includes a
hopper 11 and a trough 12. The trough is connect to the hopper by
end walls 13 so as to form an integral structure with generally
open top 14 through which feed can be inserted for containing in
the hopper and for discharge into the trough 12 for feeding by a
plurality of animals side by side. In the embodiment shown there is
provided a shelf 15 with a generally horizontal surface 16, an
upturned edge 17 and a downwardly turned lip 18 all of which are
substantially as described in the above patents of Kleinsasser.
Further details of the structure therefore can be obtained by
reference to the above patents so that no further detailed
description is necessary herein. A water supply 100 into the trough
is provided with a supply line 101 spanning the length of the
feeder underneath the shelf and including a series of
longitudinally spaced nozzles 102 under control operation or
operation by the animal as is known in the above patents.
The shape and arrangement of the hopper and trough can be varied
and can provide either a two sided structure as shown or a single
sided structure.
The height of the shelf relative to the end wall of the hopper is
adjusted by raising straps 20 where two straps are arranged at a
respective ends of the shelf with one or more intermediate straps
part way along the feeder. As the feeder in this arrangement is
relatively long, additional straps are typically required. Each of
the end straps lies along the end wall 13 parallel to the end wall
as shown in FIG. 1. The strap is raised and lowered by a lever 105
mounted on a bar 106 carried on the support plate 22 by a pivot pin
23. The support plate 22 as best shown in FIG. 4 includes an upper
mounting flange 24 which is attached to the end wall 13. A bend
portion 25 is arranged at right angles to the flange portion 24 and
therefore supports the plate 22 at a spaced position from the wall
13 leaving a space 26 at the rear of the plate 22 and inside the
end wall 13. The plate 22 is formed from sheet metal which is bent
and cut to form the required shape as defined above so that the
plate is suspended along the end wall with a bottom edge 27 and at
two side edges 28 and 29. The pivot pin 23 is arranged adjacent the
side edge 28 and approximately at a mid height of the plate.
The bar 106 is attached to a locking and gauge arrangement
generally indicated at 107.
The locking and gauge arrangement generally 107 includes a lever 21
is also formed of sheet metal which is stamped and punched to form
a generally elongate member with an end 30 at the pivot pin 23 and
a second end 31 extended beyond the edge 29 of the plate. The lever
is formed of flat sheet metal similar to that of the plate so that
it lies in contact with the front face of the plate. The lever 21
is attached to the strap 20 by a pin 32 which passes through a hole
in the lever and a hole in the strap. The lever includes an
actuating arm 109 which is mounted on the bar 106 at a collar 110
so that rotation of the bar 106 operated by the lever 105 acts to
cause the collar 110 to rotate and thus drive rotation of the lever
21 and the arm 109.
A slot 35 is provided in the plate 22 which guides movement of the
pin 32 so that the pin is constrained to move vertically and thus
move the strap 20 vertically. The length of the slot 35 between an
upper end 36 and a lower end 37 provides a length of adjustment
equal the allowable movement of the lever 21. A slot 38 in the
lever 21 and in the arm 109 allows the pin to move in the vertical
direction while accommodating the arcuate movement of the lever 21
and Arm 109 around the axis of the bar 106.
The edge 29 of the plate 22 faces away from the pivot axis 23A of
the pivot pin 23 and is cut to form a series of teeth 39 along the
edge 29 from an upper edge 40 to a lower edge 41. Thus the edge of
the plate 29 forms an arcuate edge around the axis 23A with the
teeth punched in the edge of the plate and facing away from the
plate as a serrated edge.
The lever 21 is held flat against the surface of the plate 22 by a
spring on the pin 32. The spring is held in place by a nut on the
pin 32 so that the spring is compressed between the nut and the
outer face of the lever 21. The pin 32 has a head behind the strap
20. The pivot pin 23 provides enough flexibility to allow the lever
21 to be moved away from the plate 22 compressing the spring 43
against the bias of the spring. The lever 21 has a hole 48 formed
in the lever. The lever further has a recessed portion 49 which is
bent downwardly from the plane of the lever into the plane of the
plate 22. The hole and the recessed portion are formed by cutting
through the plate along a line 50 which extends from an edge along
the lever to a semi-circular portion and back along the lever to a
second edge. This slit or cut in the sheet metal forming the lever
allows a serrated edge 54 to be formed having teeth 55 at an edge
of the hole 48 and forming an edge of the recessed portion 49. Thus
the lever is in its normal position flat against the surface of the
plate thus causing the teeth of the edge of the lever to be in
meshing engagement with the teeth of the arcuate edge of the plate
22. The width of the teeth is equal on both surfaces so that the
teeth are directly meshing. The number of teeth on the edge of the
lever is very much less than the number of teeth on the arcuate
edge of the plate since the lever is intended to move around the
arcuate edge of the plate in an adjustment movement. However the
amount of adjustment is equal the pitch of the teeth.
The lever 21 includes an end piece 58 which is bent in a direction
away from the plate 22 so as to provide a handle or tab which can
be readily grasped since it is sufficiently spaced from the end
wall of the feeder to be readily accessible by the hand of the
user.
Markings 59 are provided on the plate counting the number of teeth
and numbered from zero at one end through to the total number at
the other end of the arcuate edge of the plate. The hole 48 allows
viewing of the markings through the hole onto the front surface of
the plate so that the user can line up a centre line of the hole
with a selected one of the markings.
In operation the meshing teeth arrangement of the lever and the
plate allow a fine adjustment, bearing in mind that the teeth have
a relatively fine pitch and bearing in mind that the distance of
the pin 32 from the pivot access 23A is significantly less than the
distance of the teeth from the pivot axis. Thus movement of one
pitch of one tooth can be arranged to provide a movement of the
shelf of a distance of the order of 1/32 to 1/16 inch.
However when required, the shelf can be moved rapidly down to a
lowered position simply by grasping the lever and dropping it
downwardly to the bottom end of the adjustment thus rapidly
increasing the spacing between the bottom of the hopper and the
shelf for cleaning or other operations where the distance needs to
be rapidly opened. However when rapidly opened, the shelf can be
rapidly returned back to its set position simply by the user
recalling the number to which it was originally set and by
adjusting it rapidly back to the selected number marked on the
arcuate edge of the plate 22.
Therefore the adjustment linkage for operating adjustment movement
of shelf includes the plurality of upstanding support members or
straps 20 including the end straps 20A, 20B and at least one
intermediate strap 20C at spaced positions along the elongate
shelf. Each support strap is movable upwardly and downwardly to
different heights along its length to raise and lower the shelf. At
each end there is provided a gauge for indicating to a user a
height the respective strap such that the user can select a
required height. That is at the end 13 there is provided the
locking and gauge arrangement 107. At the opposite end there is
provided a gauge 108 which includes a symmetrically arranged plate
22 and a lever 21 with meshing teeth as previously described.
The adjustment bar 106 acts to interconnect all of the upstanding
straps 20 for common adjustment of the height thereof by single
adjustment of the manually adjustable lever 105 mounted for pivotal
movement about the pivot axis of the bar 106 for rotating the bar
so as to commonly adjust the upstanding straps.
The bar is mounted for rotation on the plate 22 at the gauge 107
and a symmetrical plate 22A at the end gauge 108. In the center for
the strap 20C there is provided a similar plate 22B supported on
cross beam 22D which carries the bar in a bearing 110. At each
plate there is provided an arm 109 which actuates the movement of
the strap 20 as the bar 106 rotates.
Thus the gauge 107 also provides a locking function in that the
user releases the plate 21 from meshing engagement with the plate
22 allowing the adjustment to occur at the lever 105. The gauge
indicates to the user the height adjustment so that the user can
select a required height. The gauge at the other end confirms that
the correct height selection has been entered. The center strap has
no need of a gauge. Only one locking location is required. The
lever 105 provides a sufficient length and strength that it can
apply a relatively large force to the bar 106 to effect the
adjustment when the hopper is filled with feed resting on the
shelf.
The lever, as shown, is located inside the hopper at one end 13 of
the feeder. However in an arrangement (not shown) the lever 105 can
be outside the hopper on the outside of the end wall 13 at height
inaccessible by the animals. As this arrangement is used with long
feeders of greater height than might be typical in order to provide
the adjustment at one location with a strong lever action, the
feeder is often much higher than typical so that the lever is above
the height which might be accessed by the animals at the
feeder.
The bar 106 is mounted for pivotal movement around the pivot axis
fixed relative to ends 13, 14 of the hopper and there is provided a
crank 109 extending from the bar 106 to each upstanding support
strap 20 so that each strap is commonly adjusted in height by
rotation of the bar around the axis. This simplifies the adjustment
and ensures that the lever 106 is accessible even when the hopper
is filled.
As described above, the feeder is of the known wet/dry type where
there is provided a trough into which the feed can fall and the
elongate member comprises a shelf mounted above the trough arranged
so that the animal can take feed from the shelf or can move the
feed from the shelf to the trough. The straps are connected to the
shelf for adjustment of the height thereof relative to a bottom
edge of the hopper defining the opening therebetween.
As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the feeder comprises a pair of
feeders 131, 132 arranged end to end each having a respective
hopper 11, a respective trough 12 and a respective shelf 15. There
is provided a water line 101 fed from a supply pipe 104 at one end
of one of the feeders. The water line extends along both of the
pair of feeders 111, 112 underneath the shelf 15 for supplying
water to the troughs. As shown in FIG. 9 the water line of each of
the feeders is connected to the water line of the next by a
coupling 106. As shown in FIG. 2, there is provided an electric
heater element 103 connected to an electric coupling 133 at one end
of one of the feeders so that the electric heating elements passes
from the coupling 133 inside the water line and extends along the
water line along both of the feeders so as to provide heat to both
feeders from a common heater element. This prevents the water lines
from freezing in a situation where the feeders are located in an
un-heated area. The use of a single heater along both feeders
significantly reduces the cost of the system including the
controls.
As shown in FIG. 7, the two hoppers 11 of the feeders 131 and 132
are connected to a common upper hopper extension 135 which supplies
feed to the hoppers of both of the feeders. This extends along both
feeders to end walls 137 and 138 at the end walls of the hoppers 11
of the two feeders and has no dividing wall at the center. Thus
both hoppers are fed by a common hopper supply above the feeders to
increase the capacity for the animals to reduce filling
frequency.
The hoppers of the two feeders are spaced at end walls 139, 140 but
the extension portion is common and bridges the area 141 between
the end walls 139, 140. Thus the feeders define a separate area 141
therebetween and there is provided a divider member 142 in the
common hopper extension to direct the feed into one or other of the
hoppers 11 and not into the area therebetween.
In FIG. 7, the adjustment devices are maintained separate so that
each feeder is adjusted independently. However it is also possible
to provide an adjustment linkage for operating adjustment movement
of the shelf of each of the hoppers. In this case the linkages
include a common bar is provided which adjusts the straps of both
the shelves in a common adjustment action.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments
of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without
department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all
matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
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